Season 2, Episode 35-36:
Clutching his blade in his hand tightly, taking one last look at all the sleeping faces of his teammates behind him before quietly tiptoeing out of the room, Ray took a breath as he eased the door back to a close as he left.
It'd been a long day of chasing an invisible enemy, one that had gone off and attacked Kai, Tyson, and Max and he was done with just sitting around waiting for it to show back up like a sitting duck. What more did he have to lose anyways?
Nothing. Driger was already sealed away in that rock by the Saint Shields, so of course it made sense for him to be the one to go out and do this for the others. Protect his family and their bitbeasts even if it cost him his blade.
Just as he was about to make it out through the gate under the cover of the night, his ears perked at the familiar sound of hard boots on the gravel behind him and a harsh call of his name.
"RAY!"
He nearly jolted out of his skin, spinning around to see Kai standing there like the ghostly apparition he was, red eyes flared in the darkness and narrowed at him with his arms over his chest.
"Kai?"
Kai didn't say a word to him, instead looking down at the blade clutched in Ray's hand where Ray followed his gaze down as his heart sped up in his chest.
Before more words could pass between the two, the others were running outside in the middle of the night to join them. Blocking Kai from his view, but it still didn't make this any easier than what he had thought it would be.
Sneaking out an entire village had been easier than this…
"Ray?" Tyson gaped.
"If you go out on your own, you're only making yourself an easy target ya know." Hilary chided.
"Don't do it Ray." Max chimed in, forcing Ray to turn away from them.
"I'm not afraid. I can fight this new enemy all by myself. I'm doing it for all of you." He stated with his back to them.
Tyson nearly jumped forward, "Get real, Driger could get destroyed ya know!"
Ray turned back around some to look at him, sure he knew that, but what was more worth risking? His blade, or their bitbeasts?
"I don't care about that. I know it's risky, but I got nothing left to lose right now." He said, holding up his blade to look at the empty bitchip in the center of it. He couldn't, wouldn't, let them suffer what he was going through.
"You won't be able to beat that wind bitbeast all by yourself." Kai cut over behind the others, blood near boiling at Ray's stupid plan. Was he stupid or something?!
"What?!" Ray bit back at him.
Having enough, putting his foot down and ending this. Kai made his way through the others to Ray on the other side of the gate, snatching up his wrist and grabbing the blade from his hand.
"This isn't going to help us at all." He scorned, taking the blade and dropping it in Kenny's hand as he walked away.
The others went silent for a moment, Ray's heart now in his throat at the look and tone he'd received from Kai and now without his blade what else could he really go and do? Wasn't like Kenny was going to go and give it back and defy Kai like he would, so once more he was nothing but a sitting duck just like the rest of them…
Ray's heart leapt in his throat, watching Kai come down to his knees and hold his arm as his clothes were being ripped and torn apart by the wind that not only chilled the air around them but chilled the blood in his own veins.
Although this kid wasn't as ruthless as Bryan had been, the scene was all too familiar expect this time he was the one standing on the sidelines feeling helpless and left to watch while Kai fought to stay standing and in the game.
The others were throwing out strategies and begging Kai to just pull out left and right, all the while he just stood there begging and pleading in his mind that the torment would end soon one way or another. And as horrible as a thought it was, even if it meant losing Dranzer, if it got Kai out of that wind then he'd take the loss and go with that because then it meant they still had Kai.
He almost felt silly, selfish even, when the tides changed, and the battle spun in Kai's favor. Dranzer piercing right through the little weasel in a flame of glory, making Kai the badly wounded victor, but the victor none the less.
The blade was trashed after going through what it had during the battle, Kai of course not looking any better as he struggled just to stand and no doubt those fresh cuts on his arms and legs stung with the cold night air, but he dropped Dranzer in Kenny's hand and wandered off like some lone ranger while the others gaped and stared in awe at their fearless leader.
Though the further and further away he got from their line of sight, Ray's stomach twisted in knots. They couldn't just let him walk off like that!
"You guys head home, it's late, and before more creeps pop out." He said, the others nodding back in agreement quickly and not looking for an argument this time around. It'd already been a long and exhausting night.
"You be careful too man." Tyson sent back before they parted ways, taking over in making sure the others got home safely while Ray headed off in the direction Kai had wandered off too.
With his heart leaping back up into his throat, the images that began to plague his mind all too familiar with him finding Kai laying almost lifeless on the ground flashing in his head, Ray sped up down the grassy path through the bamboo thicket.
"Kai! Kai, where are you?!" He called, wondering just how far an injured person could go…
"Over here..." A gruff but weak voice answered, slumped on a tree.
Ray's feet skidded to a halt, hair wrap snapping on his legs as his chest heaved on him in a hard pant.
"Fuckin hell." He muttered in relief and shock, going over to help him. "Can you walk, or do you need me to carry you?"
"I'm fine!" He bit defensively, pulling himself up from the tree. "Was just taking a second."
"You 'fine' me like that again and I'll smack you." Ray scolded, "Now do you need help or not?"
Kai stepped forward, wincing with all the cuts and beatings he'd taken that even made his rib hurt again.
"..." He muttered to mask the shame, assuming Ray would take the hint and come get him.
"Thought so." Ray huffed, though paused slightly not even sure where he could or couldn't touch him.
"Sorry, I know it's gonna hurt..." He apologized, being as careful as he could as he pulled Kai up into his arms and against his chest.
"If you need me to set you down for a breather just let me know, okay?" He said as he began the long walk back home.
Kai just nodded, flopping his head in to him and letting the medicinal feeling wash through him.
Ray held him closer, keeping his grip light in fear of hurting him more. "Don't get too comfortable. I'm not done with chewing you a new asshole." He warned.
Kai opened his eyes and frowned at him. "The hell for?" He whined. The fresh hell was this!?
"Don't even." Ray sent back, keeping on as they made it out of the bamboo thicket.
"You get onto me about doing a reckless stunt like this, and then go off and do it yourself. Oh yeah, real happy about that Kai."
"See? Not nice is it." Kai pouted.
"No, it's not. Been through it before, which is why I'm barely clinging to my last life right now thank you very much." Ray quipped back sarcastically.
"So what the hell made you think I'd let you go through it again?"
"Because you could have lost Dranzer, Kai!" Ray snapped.
Kai wriggled in his hold. "We could all lose 'em at any time! So what? We don't fight anyone now?"
"That's not what I said, is it? But instead of letting me go and do this, who doesn't have a bitbeast to lose anymore, you go off and do it yourself." Ray huffed at him, shifting Kai a little at the wiggling.
"You okay, need me to put you down?" He asked, stopping their walk back home and their argument. Kai's well-being came above the stupid spat right now anyways, they could go in circles when they got home till the sun came up.
"No! I need you to stop being mad at me!" He huffed back.
"Sorry, can't do that." Ray said in a sing-song voice and light chuckle, "Because I'm pissed." He started walking again.
"Like I said, you go and get onto me, then up and leave in the middle of the night to go and do this and now look at you. Seriously, what am I gonna do with you?" He sighed in a more calm tone.
"You scared me, like really scared me tonight. And I appreciate you taking the fight, I'm not saying that, but I didn't want this happening to you."
"And I don't want you to get hurt any more than you have! Physically and mentally! And besides, I already did sit helpless on the sidelines while you 'went through it all before', you really think I'd let you do it to me again?"
Ray sighed again and shook his head at him, "No. I don't. Either way, we don't win, do we? Have to fight but who takes the battle, who has to sit on the sidelines and watch the other get tossed around..."
Kai sighed back. "Well, now we're even. And besides, I promised I'd get Driger back for you and that I'd fight for you. So... Yeh."
"Maybe we should invest in some actual armor for you then." Ray joked, finally seeing the house coming into view.
"Hn. If I didn't hate him, I'd ask Johnny to hook me up."
"Pretty sure Oliver would just love to fit you into something." Ray rolled his eyes, slipping through the gates and taking them around the back to the kitchen so they didn't chance waking Gramps up.
Kai perked up. "Oh! Yeh he probably could..." That guy had impeccable taste.
"Don't make me drop you." Ray threatened in a dull tone, though had to pause and set him down anyways to open the door yet kept an arm around Kai just in case he fell forward.
"Go sit down, I'll get the first aid kit."
Kai did as he was told, taking himself to the living room and flopping down on it. Man he was tired...
Ray was back shortly after, coming down beside him on the couch and popping the kit open as it sat on his lap as he faced Kai.
"Remove your gloves for me, can see there's some blood." He ordered as he rooted around for the gauze and bandages in the kit.
Kai peeled them off and felt his stomach turn. Even though it was a different scenario, he still felt guilty.
"Probably going to sting like a bitch, so just hold still for me." Ray said, bringing an antiseptic cloth to the new bleeding cuts around the scars that were up and down Kai's arms. Holding onto his hand with his free one so he could squeeze back, and so he couldn't pull away either.
As promised, it did sting. He hissed, doing what Ray predicted and tried to pull back.
"Fuck!"
"I'm sorry." Ray winced with him, trying to be fast and gentle at the same time while making sure he cleaned them all since dirt and sweat had more than likely gotten into them during the match.
"There, that was the last one... On that arm..." He let his hand go and kept his own out for the other.
Kai whined. Now being a hero wasn't so fun... Welp. At least it made up a tiny bit for some of the shit he'd pulled.
Doing what he had with the first arm and holding Kai's hand so he could squeeze and keep him still at the same time, Ray went over it with another cloth as quickly as he could. Thankfully, this one wasn't as badly cut up as the last one had been and was able to let him go quicker.
"You okay?" He asked, giving Kai a minute to catch his breath and let the wounds get some air before wrapping them up.
"Mmhmm" He nodded, letting the shock of the stinging ease off. "You know I'd do anything for you, right?"
Ray lifted his head up from looking for more gauze in the kit, it tilting to the side a little.
"Well... Yeah, same as I'd do for you. Why?"
"Cause I don't get why you're mad I protected you." He shrugged.
"Ah." Ray nodded now that he understood and held his hand out for Kai's arm again to start wrapping him up like the dummy he'd gone and put in his bed earlier to fool them with.
"I'm not mad that you protected me, that'd be silly, or borderline stupid. I'm mad that you wouldn't let me protect you." He explained as he carefully wound the gauze over the fresh cuts.
Kai averted his eyes and kept his mouth shut. As strong as Ray was, without Driger, he wasn't strong enough to take on fights like that.
"You can say it you know." Ray said, keeping his own eyes down on what he was doing at the moment.
Kai pursed his lips and shook his head. Nuh uh. Nope. He wasn't falling for that.
"I'll just assume you're thinking of chicken butts then." Ray chuckled, pulling away from the one arm and just grabbing for the other to wrap it up.
"Exactly it..." Kai replied dryly. He couldn't say that to him. Let alone when he was in a position to inflict pain on him.
"Mhmm..." Ray hummed back not the least bit convinced, "Remember what I told you the night before? Know you too well, so just tell me what's on your mind."
Kai sighed through his nose and wrapped his fingers round Ray's wrist to stop him working.
"I told you when you lost Driger that you were still a force to be reckoned with, and I meant it. But that doesn't mean it's enough for opponents like that. No, you don't have a bitbeast to lose right now, but that's not the point. You could get seriously hurt without that extra power behind you. So I wanted to be what Driger can't right now."
Contrary to what Kai had thought happening, Ray smiled at him. "See, wasn't so hard was it?" Was all he gave him before he pulled out of Kai's hold and went back to working on his arm.
"And look what good having Dranzer did for you..." He muttered with a small shake of his head.
Kai pulled away and gently grabbed his chin to make him stop again. "Imagine what I'd look like if I didn't have her."
"I'd rather not. And it wouldn't have mattered if you just let me do it in the first place. Too late now though, so can you let me do this for you or you gonna keep stopping me there too?"
Steam almost came out Kai's ears. He was so fucking stubborn! Did he not listen!
"Are you kidding me right now!? You majorly fucked up or me with a few cuts and knocks! It's a no brainer!"
"You don't know that; you didn't even give me the chance to try! So what if I don't have Driger right now, doesn't mean I still can't fight. But no, let's just push me down to the back where I go until I might be needed in case none of us make it through and then we'll use me." Ray choked back up at him.
"You didn't even give me the chance to try! And all day these people have been after you and the kids a-and I just wanted to help and make them stop! Then you go and get hurt because I can't do anything!"
Kai shook him. "Hey! Enough! I'm sorry Ray, I am. But the fact of the matter is right this moment you are on the bench! Not because you're not an exceptional player or don't have the skills, but because you don't have the power the rest of us do right now. If you had Driger I woulda let you go claw his ass up, but you don't so let's be sensible about this!"
"So what, you just want me to sit back and not do a damn thing every time one of these new people show up? When has that ever been me? They will always have the advantage over us, since we know nothing about them or their bitbeasts, even with our own we're still at a disadvantage here." Ray argued back, knocking Kai's hands off him.
"Now take off your shirt, that bastard cut you in the chest." He ordered like they weren't in the middle of an argument.
Kai stared at him with the static going off in his head. He did as he was told, hesitantly lifting the ripped shirt up and over his head and feeling his face burn at being half naked in front of him.
"Thank you." Ray huffed, checking the cuts and sighing a breath of relief that none of them seemed to be split open like the ones on his arms had been.
"Alright, he get you anywhere else?" He asked, looking him in the face again.
Kai shook his head automatically. He had only seen his mouth move. The blood in his head drowning his ears as his pale skin prickled in goosebumps.
"Good. Now, we done with this stupid back and forth? End of is I want to protect you, you want to protect me, but I'm not stopping you from protecting me. Bitbeast or not, I can still fight, and I at least deserve a chance to try."
Something in Kai's head told him he should probably nod right about now and did so.
"Good." Ray huffed, closing up the kit that had been on his lap and picking up the discarded trash to toss.
Kai's brain gave orders. He reached out to push off the box from his lap while he brought his own leg over to put himself in its place.
At the suddenness, and now how close Kai was to him, Ray swallowed the lump that shot up into his throat as he leaned back into the armrest of the couch. Yet, his hands went out on either side of Kai to keep him from toppling off the side of the couch.
"Kai...?" He breathed, blood rushing in his own ears and drowning out any other noise. Heart quickening in his chest as it set in more properly that Kai's was bare, and now hovering over his.
"Mm?" He asked back softly but felt himself lean in anyway before he could even respond.
Whatever had been lingering on the tip of Ray's tongue was washed away, having leaned up to meet him and connecting their lips together gently.
The hands that had been waiting on either side to catch if Kai were to fall came around him instead, carefully pulling him down closer into him and it actually really sinking in then that he was hovering over the top of him shirtless as his fingers touched the bare skin of Kai's back.
Kai breathed heavily in to his face back, wrapping his arms around his neck and arching his back at the touch.
Not sure how long to keep dragging this out, but already having melted into the couch, Ray gripped and groped all the way up Kai's back and into his hair, mouth parting open as his own heavy breath came out of him and chills ran up and down his spine.
Kai's hands roamed over his shoulders and chest. His lips swelling quickly and body bursting in to flames of adrenaline while all the while feeling weak and dizzy.
At being touched, Ray's chest lifted into it automatically, a low moan rolling from his throat and fought with the rest of his lower half to stay absolutely still for fear of knocking the two of them off the couch or worse...
Having to part for a proper breath, arms still draped around Kai's neck and fingers tangled in the back of his hair, his glazed over golden eyes locked onto the crimson ones above him for a minute as he caught his breath only for them to close and brought the two back together in a harder and more urgent passionate kiss than before. Tongue breaking past Kai's lips within seconds of being reconnected, and another low moan slipping through him.
Kai groaned back a little louder, their tongues massaging each other perfectly enough to turn him to goo.
A little giggle came off to the side of the living the room, making the two freeze in place and their blood run cold.
Snapping their faces off each other, they looked over to find Max standing in the doorway of the living room and to their sleeping room, the blonde sending them a little finger wave as he was biting into his bottom lip so hard he was nearly sucking in his entire chin at the same time and looking like he was ready to pee on the floor.
"Ugh..." Ray stuttered, face going redder than it ever had.
Kai let out a horribly pitched shriek, almost ripping a cushion off the couch to cover his shameful, shameful nipples.
"Thefuckareyoudoinghere!?"
Max began to vibrate in place, looking like he was about to take off like a rocket at blast off as his eyes blew out as wide as saucers. Clearly the shrieking and yelling not bothering him in the slightest.
"WHEN?! WHEN DID IT HAPPEN?! HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN GOING ON?! OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!"
Ray flinched at all the loud noise, looking from Kai to Max and back again to see if he could translate any of that.
"SHUTTHEFUCKUP!" Kai cawed back at him. Last thing they needed was Grampa or anyone else finding out.
"WHEEEEEENNNNNNN?!" Max begged in his own shrieking voice, nearly getting on his knees and putting his hands together pleadingly.
"New York!" Ray answered just to appease him, "Now quiet, both of you!" He hissed out.
"New YORK!?" He squealed, thrilled it had happened on his stomping ground. "OH MY GOD! At the place I recommended!?"
"No, rooftop. Whatever. But what're you doing, hurry up and do it and go back to bed or something and quit yelling. Making my damn ears ring." Ray grumbled back.
Max came and sat down on the couch beside them. "I was coming to find you! Oh boy, this is great!"
Ray and Kai looked at him then at each other and back at Max again as if he'd just come up and decided to kiss the both of them on the mouths.
"Um.. Maxie... What're you doing now?" Ray asked, he was still pinned under Kai.
Maxie tilted his head. "Tell me everything!"
Ray groaned, and this time it wasn't a good one as his head flopped into the armrest. "Kai... Get your son to go away please..."
Kai clutched the cushion to his naked chest, face the color of borscht. "Leave. Speak of this to no one. Leaaaaave!"
Max just chuckled. "Fine. But I'll be back..." He sang to them, heading back to their sleeping quarters with a dumb grin the width of his mouth.
"Why do I get the feeling that he will be?" Ray asked to the air, dragging a hand down his face with another groan now that they were left alone.
"Does this mean we have to talk birds and bees with him now?"
Kai gripped Ray's face, terrified. "Fuck that! You have to make sure he doesn't run his mouth!"
"Why me?" Ray whined at him, "Is your fault."
"How is it my fault!?" Kai argued.
"Um... You're the one sitting on me." Ray answered through his squished cheeks.
Kai tilted and rolled off, bringing the cushion up to smother his own face and whined incoherent obscenities into it.
"Mhmm. Let it out. There ya go." Ray pat his back as he cursed into the cushion.
Kai shot up again. "Ray, what are we going to do!?"
Ray blinked at him, "Nothing, why?"
Kai looked like he was ready to spit venom. "People can't know! The kids can't know!"
"Why?" Ray stressed again, "Tyson knows I'm bi already. And guess what, Max knows now. Soooo, why?"
"They don't know about me though, do they!?" He freaked out. "And this is serious! The team comes in to it as well!"
"Well, like I said. Max knows now, pretty sure he's known the longest actually..." Ray mused a little to himself, "And Hilary knows about you, so really you're just keeping Tyson and Kenny in the dark."
Kai sat with the growing cloud over his head stewing for a moment before he gently tossed the cushion aside.
"I'm goin to bed..."
"Because that solves absolutely everything." Ray huffed back at him, "I can talk to Max if it means that much to you, but really we should do it together, so he doesn't get some random idea that you're just trying to hide me or something crazy."
Kai stopped in the doorway and deflated more. "Aint that what we're doing?"
Ray's mouth opened to respond but quickly closed, had him there... So sent him a half shrug instead.
Kai sighed even deeper, leaving him for the bathroom.
Ray watched him go, running a hand through his hair and taking up the cushion Kai had used earlier and planted his own face into it as he threw himself into the couch and let out his own slew of curses.
The night was long and silent. For Kai at least. Max slept like a baby, and Ray was asleep peacefully when he rolled over to look at him. This was a disaster...
Even without the recent history that blocked their relationship like some kind of damn Shakespearean play, Kai wasn't sure if he'd want to make it known to anyone. Not quite so shrouded in secrecy of course, but...
He wanted to keep certain things about himself private. Which he knew was very selfish and unfair to Ray. But he couldn't help the feeling of unease and discomfort.
He glanced over at Max. He could talk to him. A friendly little chat that relayed how if anyone were to hear anything about it, he would skin him alive and put starving dogs up his butt...
With a sleepless night, plagued with the horror of having been caught by Max pinning Ray to the couch and shirtless, Kai dragged himself out of bed before the others were even cracking their eyes open.
There had to be a way to do this, Ray said he could talk to him about it, but knowing momma he'd coddle, and fold and Max would run off and run his mouth around town.
No, he had to do it. Put a fear in Max that he hadn't had since last year, so he'd keep his mouth shut about what he'd seen. He couldn't let this slip, too much was riding on it. He just had to bide his time, then he'd pounce...
Luckily, he didn't have to wait long with Kenny having called Max to meet him at the park to tweak Draciel, and with the others still asleep it was the perfect opportunity to grab and go.
Just before Max was able to take more than two steps outside the gates, Kai had crept around and waited, grabbing him around the mouth and hauled ass in the other direction. Probably shaved off a few years off of Max's life span but wasn't like he hadn't done that to him last night. Was just evening the score and all.
Pulling Max around the outer wall of the Granger's home, with no real plan except shoving the fear of God into him, he finally let the other go and spun Max around to face him by the shoulders only to be met with tear and fear filled blue eyes till they seemed to wash away the second he registered who it was that had grabbed him.
"Oh my god Kai, you scared me!" Max giggled at him, yet his heart was still pounding frantically in his chest and his legs were weak.
"Not yet I haven't." He growled as he loomed over him, red eyes burning with as much last-year-captain ferocity as he could muster.
Max just giggled again, not sure what game they were suddenly playing but whatever. He'd go along with it for right now.
"What're you talking about?" He questioned almost innocently like the little angel he was.
Kai frowned, grabbing the front of his shirt and yanking it. "You know damn well what I'm talking about. If you wanna live to go to college and make your momma proud then you'd better do as I say."
Max's eyes widened some, mouth parting open but all that came out was a loud crack as a dish towel was slapped against the back of Kai's head from almost nowhere.
"And this momma says you'd better do as I say before I smack you again, Hiwatari." Ray scolded, hand back up and ready to strike with the towel.
Kai winced, letting go of Max's shirt to rub his head and turned at him with a mighty snarl. "The fuck Ray!?"
"Don't you 'the fuck Ray' me! The fuck you doing?!" Ray snarled back at him, moving around Kai to go check on Max and smooth out his wrinkled shirt.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine." Max giggled again, still confused as all hell, but the show was worth every bit of confusion.
Ray gave him a nod, spinning back on his heel to face Kai and put his hands to his hips. "The hell is wrong with you, going and jumping him like you did and then yanking on him. You lost your damn mind or something?"
"Apparently so, considering last night! And what do you think I'm doing! Making sure he doesn't open his damn mouth! You're too soft! He'll blab to someone if he knows there's no consequence!" Kai foamed at the mouth.
Max looked between the two again, feeling giddy even though the tension in the air was clearly telling him he shouldn't be.
"But guys! This is great!" He interjected quickly, looking like he did last night and ready to pee himself.
Kai's face spasmed as his hand slapped over Max's mouth again. "Hold your tongue, boy!"
Max let out a pitiful whine behind Kai's hands, shoulders falling forward while Ray rolled his eyes beside the two and raised the towel again and smacked Kai with it.
"Will you calm down for two seconds?!" He scorned.
Kai hissed at him. "Why should I!? And stop doing that!"
"Because he doesn't even know why you're so twisted up right now, so calm down! And I'll stop when you stop scaring the poor thing half to death!"
"Imfune." Max tried to interject again.
Kai turned his eyes to Max, ice heart melting rapidly at the pitiful blue eyes and sighed, finally releasing the golden boy.
"Maxie..." He said more gently, "You can't breathe a word of this to anyone."
Blonde hair tilted, "How come?" He asked, blue eyes blinking. It felt like he'd been waiting all his life for this moment to happen and now it was, and they wanted to hide it?!
"Because you can't, Max. We're... We're not actually together, yet." Ray sighed between them. He didn't really know how else to word it to him.
"But... You were all over each other last night, Kai was shirtless!"
"He was cleaning my wounds!" Kai shrieked, burning red. "And it's complicated... But we're not together. We're friends and that is the way it needs to stay in everyone's eyes." He said with a hint of hurt present.
Max scoffed a little, "Welll... Tyson and I are friends, but you wouldn't see us making out on the couch anytime soon. Cleaning wounds or not."
"Max." Ray nearly barked, "We can't be together, not right now. It's as simple as that, and if Gramps finds out about last night we'd get into a lot of trouble. So please, please don't say anything."
"What you saw was my fault. As is the rest of it. So please... Ray would get in to trouble for my own behavior." Kai chipped in.
Max's eyes went sad, looking from one to the next with a heavy sigh. "That's not fairrrrr. Whyyyy? Do you not realize how long I've been waiting for this to happen?!" He whined at them.
Kai blinked at him. "Come again?"
"You're perfect for each other! So what's so wrong with it that Gramps has a problem, huh?! I know he's old, but he can't be like... Ya know!" Max gestured wildly, looking more distressed than the other two did at the moment.
"He's not, he just doesn't think it's a good idea right now. Calm down." Ray tried to soothe before Max had a break down suddenly, the hell did Kai do to him?
"I don't get it, if you love each other then you should be together, right?!"
"Max!" Kai raised his voice sternly just to get him to quieten, "The issue isn't to do with our gender, it's about what I put us through and making sure it doesn't ever repeat itself..." He explained shamefully.
"Oh... Well... That still sucks!" Max pouted, cheeks puffing out like he was five.
"Yeh. Tell me about it..." Kai muttered under his breath as he folded his arms.
"Well... I'm really sorry guys. For all of it, I guess. But my lips are sealed, isn't for me to say or do and I wouldn't do that you guys anyways." Max said, kicking at the dirt a little with the tip of his shoe.
"We appreciate it, Maxie." Ray sent him a small smile.
Kai gave a small nod. "And uh... Sorry for the rough treatment. Old habits die hard, I guess."
"Ah it's fine." Max waved off with a laugh, "Was funny actually. Know I haven't actually been scared of you for a long time, right?"
Kai's face fell completely. "The hell do you mean!? Like how long!?" That couldn't be!
"Since you saved me from getting squished by that big wall back home!" Max gushed, "Always knew you cared after that, even if you showed differently. Ya big softy."
Ray held in the chuckle, biting his lower lip and hiding behind his hand. Oh the outrage, how dare the kids not be scared of him but actually be fond of him. Was horrible, really.
Kai spun and looked at Ray with said outrage in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something to him, only to be distracted by his own thought train and back to Max.
"Couldn't get to the championships if you were crushed to death!"
"Nope, so good thing you saved me." Max just giggled at him again, "But anyways, Chief is probably wondering if I've been kidnapped so I should head off now. Good luck and see you when I get home?" He pitched in a bid to run off before Kai gave him a reason to be scared of him again.
"Thanks... Off you go..." Kai dismissed, wanting to feel like he had some power left.
"Byeeeee." Max sang out as he spun away and dashed off before he got a whack to the back of his head or something, just in case...
"Well then... That was eventful..." Ray blinked a little at how fast Max took off away from them, looking back to Kai and threw the towel over his shoulder.
"What're you gonna do now?"
Kai shrugged and started to skulk off in a sulk. "Take a walk."
Ray frowned a little at the back of his head, though stayed where he was. "Okay, just be careful."
Kai turned around, clearly disappointed he wasn't going to follow. "I will..."
Ray's feet shifted now that Kai had stopped and looked back at him, "Did... Did you want me to come with you?" He asked, normally when Kai went off on walks he did it by himself. And after last night, he figured he'd give him some space. Clear his head a little if that's what he was going to go do.
Kai's smile cracked, quickly vanishing and rolling his eyes. "Ooooh, if you must..." He forced a sigh, coming back to take his wrist before Ray's smart ass mouth took it back.
"I mean, I don't have to." Ray said anyways, feet following regardless as the towel on his shoulder slipped off. "But if you insist."
Kai smirked hard as he pulled him. Knew it... "Perhaps I do..."
"And where is it you insist we're going?" Ray asked with his own smirk threatening to curl up.
"Who knows? The woods, the park, perhaps some brunch since we never did have breakfast?"
Ray tapped his chin with his free hand, "Hmmm, could always go for something to eat."
"When can't you?" Kai smirked harder, "But there is actually somewhere I saw on a walk a while back, seemed like somewhere you might like."
"Oh, well if you're gonna poke fun." Ray tugged his wrist back from Kai's hold, feigning leaving him to go on his 'walk' alone.
Kai snorted and leapt on to his back. "Nooooo! Let's go eat til we're fat little piggies and have to roll home."
"Pfft, and where's this wonderful place you picked out for us to stuff our faces with this time?" Ray asked, turning back the way they had been going and holding Kai's legs around him so he wouldn't slip off.
Kai's arms draped around his neck. "Head towards the post office. I'll direct from there..."
"And you're just gonna sit there the whole way, huh?" Ray mused, the smirk finally curling up his face as he went off towards the post office.
"I did it for you in Russia..." He mused back in his ear, "Took you all round Moscow."
"I was injured, in case you forgot." Ray rolled his eyes back at him.
"As am I? Got cut up last night in case you forgot. I'm bruised and sore."
"Awww, my poor baby." Ray cooed at him in a fake sympathetic voice, "And whose fault is that again?"
"Yours! And the kids!" He whined back. WHERE was the hero's gratitude!?
"Oh, it's mine?" Ray quirked a brow, "Do tell."
"Looking out for you! All of you! It's what any daddy does!"
Ray considered the answer and gave a nod back, "Yes, and you're the best daddy out there for it. Until you went and tried to scare your little boy out of the only life he has today."
Kai sighed. "Sometimes what they need is tough love. You're too soft on them."
"You always say that, I am not." Ray huffed back, "I just never jump down their throats at the first chance I get. Wasn't like he knew any of what's going on, was just excited."
"Always making excuses..." Kai shook his head, "But enough, this is a child free zone now."
"Mhmm." Ray hummed and came to a stop. "Also a no piggy back zone, hop off, you're pulling my hair and it hurts."
"Oooooh..." Kai whined, "Fine..." He slipped off his back, patting his clothes to straighten them.
"But you're paying for brunch then."
"Oh finally! Praise the lord!" Ray cheered in mock excitement, "How bout this, whoever gets there last has to pay, okay? Onetwothreego!" He spewed and took off running despite not knowing where to go.
Kai was left in the small plume of dust Ray had kicked off, taking a moment for it to sink.
"H-hey!"
Competitiveness sunk in. Ray didn't know where it was. A strong advantage. But then he was wanting to let Ray pay? But he wanted to win...
Oooooh the confliction! Either way, he took off after him.
At hearing the footsteps behind him, Ray looked over his shoulder, barely going half his full speed so wouldn't take long for Kai to catch up to him at all and threw him a cheeky smirk before speeding up just a tad bit faster.
Kai groaned behind him. Stupid thunder cat... He'd have to slow him down somehow.
Spinning around, running backwards, Ray tilted his head to the side. "C'mon slow poke, thought you wanted me to pay this time."
Kai growled harder. The bastard...
He willed his thighs to go as fast as they could, charging behind him.
Ray cracked another smirk, fang going on show as he kept running backwards. "There ya go, c'mon Kai. C'mon!" He called and clapped like he were to a dog or toddler learning to walk.
Kai's eye twitched. Double bastard! The cheek! The outrage!
Kai let out deep growl and hauled ass, feet thumping the ground as fast as they could go. He'd learn him! With a battle cry, he leapt like a cat with rabies, hurtling himself at him for a reason even he didn't know. Just following his manly instincts...
Ray let out a yelp, not expecting the leap or the hard ground as his body was knocked down into it, arms going around Kai to catch him and landed in a heap.
"Ow..."
"Ohhhh sorry, did you hit your big, fat head?" Kai scowled at him.
Ray just burst out laughing under him, the fall being cushioned somewhat by the bush they'd fallen into, minus being cut and scraped by the branches of it.
"The hell are you laughing at!?" Kai asked, outraged.
"Yo-You!" Ray howled, chest heaving and shoulders shaking.
Kai cocked an annoyed brow. "What about me?!"
"Came at me like-like a damn flying squirrel!" Ray wheezed, unable to contain it. His side starting to cramp as the last thing he could clearly see was Kai flying through the air at him before they collided.
Kai blushed at being laughed at. "Y-you were being a dick!"
"I was playing with you!" Ray defended.
"Oh sure, belittling my rank!" He huffed back.
"W-what're you talking about?" Ray asked, finally calming down some.
"Talking down to your captain like that." He sniffed in a sulk.
"Oh whatever, you're just no fun sometimes." Ray rolled his eyes, playfully pushing on Kai's arm and making him wobble on his waist.
Kai's eyes changed as their hips rubbed against each other's and went a little paler. Oh dear...
"What? Now you have nothing to say?" Ray teased as he pushed on him again.
Kai's throat went dry as it happened again. Was he this pathetic? The slightest friction making him release the Walrus? Then again, there was a time that a glimpse of hip in the hospital in Russia had him jerking himself senseless in the bathroom. So, perhaps he was that pathetic. The only difference was, now he could... Walrus had spoken.
His head swooped down, crashing their lips together hungrily.
Ray's eyes snapped wide open, a muffled yelp coming out of him as his body jolted. Oh, okay then. They were doing this again... Least this was a no kids zone.
Like he had no free will, his body melted into it, kissing back and pulling Kai down into him harder. But this time, Kai was hungrier, he kissed back, nudging for Ray's mouth to open and slipped his needy tongue in while his hands grew braver and explored.
An unexpected heat coursed through Ray's blood stream, fingers gripping into the back of Kai's shirt as he tried to keep up with what he was doing but with the heat and his head getting heavy and foggy all he really could do was lay there and just take it in stride.
A low moan soon rolled out of his chest as it lifted again into the touches assaulting him, making him almost break out into a sweat as he couldn't help but shift a little on the uncomfortable ground and branches digging into his back.
With the steam between them, Kai lost himself, hands finding the bottom of Ray's shirt and slipping under it. The indisputable evidence of how turned on it made him grew even stronger between his legs, hips shifting a little on their own.
And that was when reality struck and struck down like a bolt of lightning.
Ripping their faces apart, Ray panted for breath, face flushed just as red as it had been the night before when Max walked in on them and quickly squeezing a hand between him and Kai's bodies to keep some distance.
The blood rushing in his ears and heart nearly threatening to give out on him made this harder to focus but given where they were and what was going on, something had to be done, or at least said.
"Kai... What're we doing?" He asked, eyes dancing above him with the uncertainty clear along with the desire to keep going mixed within.
Kai panted, face red from lust. "I-I'm sorry, did you not like it?"
"N-no I do!" Ray spewed back quickly, if Kai couldn't tell he didn't like it then he just needed to move down an inch or two...
"J-just we're in a bush, a-and I don't know."
"Oh! I'm sorry, is it hurting!?" He asked as he backed off him so Ray could move.
Ray sat up with him, rubbing and picking out the sticks that had poked and prodded into his back.
"Why do we keep doing this to ourselves?" He let out in a heavy sigh, bringing his knees to his chest to give more room in the cramped space.
Kai sat back. "Forgive me..."
Ray shook his head at him, "Nothing to forgive. It's not like I don't want it, or don't want you, because I do. I'm just getting so tired of this. You're right here and I still can't have you."
Kai let out a deep, frustrated sigh. He'd been saying that all along! All the blood being... Otherwise disposed meant his brain was hardly working at full power.
"Mmhmm. I hear ya..."
Ray sighed with him again, running a hand down his face to try and wipe some of the grass, leaves, and bit of sweat from his skin before pulling his knees closer to his chest and settled his chin in the peak between them.
"What do we do then?" He asked, hoping somehow, somewhere, Kai would have a plan to stop this from happening.
Kai blinked. "Um. If we wait a minute, they'll go down?"
Ray stared at him for a minute in silence before his cheeks puffed out, holding in the laugh that made his shoulders shake. That wasn't what he meant but nodded anyways.
Kai frowned. "What's funny now?"
Ray could hardly look at him, going for burying his face in his knees as he finally let out the laugh he'd been trying to hold in.
"That's not what I meant!" He wheezed between his laughter.
Welp. That sure helped the process along. Nothing quite helped make a man flaccid like mockery and embarrassment.
"How was I meant to know!? Be clearer!" He flushed.
"S-sorry." Ray's voice cracked back at him, shaking his head where it was still buried in his knees before taking in a few heavy breaths to calm himself down.
"A-anyways. Hungry?" He asked, finally looking back at him with his chin on his knees again, a little innocent look on his face.
Kai shifted and pressed his feet together as well, bringing his own knees up some. Was nice while it lasted... Why did he have to look like that? All tempting...
Yes, Raymond. He was starving! But not for a croissant!
"Mmhmm..."
"Okay, so where's this wonderful place you picked out for us then?" Ray asked, going to pick himself out of the bush they'd fallen into and held his hand out for Kai to take.
He took it instinctively. Even though his junk was mad at him. "Oh, I walked by it when I was out walking. Looked like somewhere you'd approve of." He told him.
"C'mon. It's about twenty minutes from here..." He muttered as he stared to pull him along.
Stepping out of the bushes, Ray had to let go of his hand to get rid of the rest of the branches and leaves still in his hair.
"Did I get them all?" He asked, turning around and holding his arms out for Kai to get a good look.
And look he did... He stalked up to him, clapping his hands on his hips and pulling them roughly back to press in to him. His hands quickly roamed across the muscular chest and stomach.
"Missed a spot..."
That didn't happen...
Instead, Ray stood awkwardly in silence with his arms out until he looked over his shoulder to see what the holdup was.
"Well?"
Kai snapped his head up. "You got em all..."
Ray's arms flopped back down to his sides, spinning around on his heels. "Okay, lead the way."
As Kai had predicted, Ray had enjoyed the place immensely. Every other bite led to a little sound of approval coming from his throat. Which did nothing to douse the flames in Kai's loins...
He ate his croissandwich with a rough hint of bitterness, hating life. And himself. Why was he being like this? Sure, Ray was attractive. He'd wanted to kiss him, touch him, all that, for ages now. So why was it now that the curiosity and desire felt too much to bare?
He paid. Was the least he could do after groping him in a bush like a randy horn dog...
"Guess Max and Kenny still aren't back yet." Ray mused as they stepped back into the otherwise quiet house, it feeling a bit odd being so quiet since by now the place was full of noise and life.
Finding the couch he eased himself down, belly full and more than happy to get off his feet after the walking and running.
"Thank you, by the way, had a good time."
Kai sat down beside him and cleared his throat. "Me too..."
Looking around to check for the tenth time that no one was there, he slid himself a little closer.
"Could have let me pay though." Ray smirked at him, pretending he didn't notice the shift beside him.
"Nah, its fine... Small apology for um... Being bad..." He cracked through a dry throat, shifting ever closer. Mmmm he smelt so good...
"Oh?" Ray questioned with a brow slightly raising, "Didn't know we had to pay debts when it came to that." He chuckled a little, "Cus I think I owe you a lot more than you owe me if that's the case."
"That right?" His husky voice purred as his hand brushed a few stray strands over his pointed ear.
Ray's cheeks blew up in a blush, teeth biting into his bottom lip as he nodded slowly and inched in closer too.
"Mhmmm, put it on my tab though." He purred back before leaning in the rest of the way and catching Kai's lips with his.
Kai let out a small moan as the itch started to be gently scratched. Yesssssssssss, come to papa...
He pushed his lips on to him harder, finding himself moving to put himself in Ray's lap. Was so much easier to tongue each other senseless that way...
Not finding a reason not to, seeing as how the house was still silent as a graveyard, he grabbed at Kai and pulled him over onto him, holding him around his lower back to support.
Mouth parting in sly invitation and the second Kai took the bait, his own tongue dived in Kai's mouth and twisted around it.
Kai moaned in to it, finding his blood heating up and Walrus starting to bark again. His hands went anywhere they could, feeling up his ripped arms to changing course and going for his soft hair.
A low growl rumbled out of Ray's chest, the kissing getting more frenzied as his arms tightened around Kai's back and pulled him in closer till their chests rubbed.
With a deeper and lower growl ripping out of his throat, he heaved and shoved Kai onto his back on the couch. Hovering over him best he could in the small space without falling off the side of it.
The quietness of the house only being disturbed by the noises coming out of the two of them, drowning in them almost and the sounds of his blood rushing in his ears until there was another noise joining in coming from outside that made his ears twitch.
"HELP! TYSON, KAI, RAY! HELLPPP!" Kenny's distressed voice echoed from outside, forcing Ray to snap off Kai so fast he nearly fell off the couch.
Kai flailed and rolled off the couch, picking himself up and bolting like a bat out of hell.
NOOOPE! Rager or not, he was not about to deal with that frickin' nerd! Oooooooohhhh he was gonna throw Dizzi against a wall for this!
Ray wasn't sure if he should call for him to come back, clearly there was a problem but his chance to say anything was gone as Kenny came rushing into the house flailing and screaming incoherently at him.
"RAY! Thank goodness! You have to come! It's Max!" The small one panted horribly.
Ray was up off the couch like he'd been shocked, and like some pop up doll Tyson was rushing out of their sleeping quarters throwing his shirt on at all the commotion looking like he just woke up.
"Max? What happened? Never mind, tell us on the way Chief!" Tyson shouted back at him, grabbing Kenny under the arm and hauling him back for the front door with Ray trailing behind as fast as he could.
A few minutes of silence later, the door for the room upstairs creaked open. He'd only heard Kenny and Tyson jabbering. They probably wanted a practice battle or something.
...They would pay. In the meanwhile, since no one was home... He looked down at Walrus...